Marcus Ericsson says he is aiming to fight for a points finish at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, with the Swede keen to to open Sauber’s 2016 tally at Marina Bay Circuit.
The Swiss outfit currently lies 11th and last in the Constructors’ standings with no score after enduring a challenging first part to its campaign amid financial uncertainty.
However, Sauber secured its long-term future over the summer and has been ramping up recruitment to fill key senior positions while also bringing updates to the C35. With Manor and Renault still within reach in the championship, Ericsson wants to make the most of the long-awaited aero evolution to finally get Sauber on the board.
“The Singapore Grand Prix is surely one of most exciting as well as challenging race weekends,” he said. “The typically high temperatures, the high humidity, and the fact that the race is held at night makes it to one of the highlights of the season.
“Thinking about last year’s race, I was very close to the points by finishing in P11. As we saw positive results from the car package during the recent race weekends, our aim is certainly to fight for points in Singapore.”
Having labelled the Marina Bay race as a true test for Sauber’s recent upgrades, Ericsson’s team-mate Felipe Nasr hopes he can emulate his result from 12 months ago.
“I have good memories from last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, as I was able to score one point,” the Brazilian said.
“Looking back to the tests during the previous race weekends, I have confidence in our car, as I felt that we made a step in the right direction, although we cannot see it in the results yet.
“In Singapore a lot can happen during the race, so we need to take every opportunity that might come up.”
Chris Medland's 2016 Singapore Grand Prix preview
TECHNICAL: Under the skin of the Red Bull RB12
2017 F1 driver line-ups so far
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
